1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to decoys for water fowl hunting and, more particularly, to a hand held decoy for ducks or geese, or any game fowl or animal that would be attracted to a flashing that effectively simulates the flapping of a bird""s wings
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Water fowl decoys which are made to resemble various water fowl such as ducks or geese have long been used by hunters to attract game to a particular area. Such decoys are generally made of wood or molded plastic and are placed in water to mimic the appearance of a flock of ducks or geese sitting in a lake or lagoon. Since the decoys are essentially motionless, such decoys are not particularly visible from the altitudes at which water fowl fly and therefore have limited success in attracting game.
Accordingly, a number of attempts have been made to introduce motion to water fowl decoys. Some conventional decoys are dragged by underwater systems to give the decoys the appearance of swimming about in the water. However, such conventional decoy systems produce only moderate performance, apparently since the swimming motion is hardly perceptible to water fowl flying overhead at significant altitudes. Other conventional decoys employ elaborate mechanically driven wings to imitate the flapping of wings by a bird. Such flapping decoys are better at attracting game but suffer from the disadvantages of mechanical complexity and associated expense.
What is needed is a particularly simple and inexpensive mechanism by which motion resembling the flapping of a bird""s wings is introduced to a bird decoy.
In accordance with this invention, the appearance of movement such as the flapping of a bird""s, eg. duck""s, wings is provided by a hand held silhouette or molded resemblance decoy, including a body having opposed surfaces of contrasting color or brightness, ie. a dark side and a light side. The body comprises a first portion and a second portion having a peripheral outline to provide a silhouette roughly of a game fowl""s wing. The body is hinged along a hinge line which forms the junction between the first and second body portions. A handle extends from the first body portion such that repeated movement of the handle through the hand of a hunter effects swinging of the second body portion relative to the first portion about the hinge line, alternately making visible to the game fowl being hunted the contrasting color or brightness of the opposed surfaces of at least the second body portion, and simulating the flapping of a fowl""s wings. Accordingly, the present invention represents a significant reduction in the complexity and expense of prior art decoys with flapping wing mechanisms. In addition, the motion decoy accordingly to the invention is as effective, or more effective, in attracting game from the air, providing light and dark colors or a flashing semblance and a motion appearing to an aloft bird as, for example, a floating duck about to take flight or an inflight bird preparing to land, or any bird flying in that given area.
It has been found to be advantageous if the decoy body, to provide the desired silhouette, is substantially flat and in the shape generally of a block xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d, and hinged at the junction of the legs of the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d. In this manner, when one portion or leg of the body, having a handle connected to the free end thereof, is held in the hunter""s hand and rotated about its long longitudinal axis, the other leg pivots about the hinge and supplies the desired simulation.